


Together or not at all

by ragdollrory



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lotor has a proposition, Multi, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lotor (Voltron), Shiro is a Tease (Voltron), maybe? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:41:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29108739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ragdollrory/pseuds/ragdollrory
Summary: “What on Daibazaal’s moons are you talking about?” There was only so much anyone could handle, and being propositioned by the Galra Emperor was apparently Keith’s limit. “You want us to, to—”“I beg your pardon? No.” It was Lotor’s turn to look as if he’d eaten a sour uglealery cake, and Keith could imagine with perfect clarity the stages of horror his own face must’ve gone through mere ticks before.
Relationships: Keith/Lotor/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Together or not at all

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ilovelocust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilovelocust/gifts).



> A fic for ILLocust, who's prompt was _Keith and Lotor are both interested in/in a relationship with Shiro, but Keith and Lotor are still wary/not quite sure what to think of each other?_ Hope I did it justice, and you all enjoy!
> 
> Also, a massive thanks to my wonderful Beta [Hiro](https://twitter.com/bioplast_hero), who's side notes give me so much life!

_ “Marmoran ship number 8293-M, this is the imperial cruiser, please state your course and destination.” _

The message came through while Keith was on a quick run to get something to eat from the little kitchen of his craft. He cursed as his head hit the door he’d left open above him, and he almost dropped the plate with the last two muffins Hunk had left him when they last visited each other.

_ “Marmoran ship number 8293-M, this is the imperial cruiser. Please state your course and destination.” _

“Shit—” He hated these messages, and their propensity to always come at the worst possible times. Keith skipped over a pile of clothes he’d left in the way, and managed not to trip on Kosmo’s tail wagging from under his pilot chair.

_ “Marmoran sh—” _

“Yeah, yeah, heard you the first time,” he muttered, managing to flick on the comm at last, while taking a seat and biting half a muffin into his mouth.

_ “Please state your course and destination, then.”  _

Keith could not be sure, but he thought the voice sounded... amused? He rested his head on a closed fist, paying closer attention.

“I, uh- ‘m bringing food and supplies to the Vreczens.” This time he was sure he heard a snort on the other end of the line, and toyed with the other half of the muffin while he waited for a reply.

_ “Food and supply aid, understood. We’re hauling you in, Marmoran ship number 8293-M.” _

“What, why?!” That set Keith straight on his chair, Kosmo’s ears perked up in attention. He scrambled to stash the plate with his snack somewhere so that he could get a hold of the controls, but he was already surrounded by purple light, and everyone knew there was no escape from the imperial cruiser’s tractor beam.

_ “There’s no need for worry,” _ the voice said in that irritatingly neutral intonation that got on Keith’s nerves every time.  _ “The Emperor merely wishes to have a word with you, Keith.” _

The emperor— “Acxa?” Keith frowned at the black screen, having identified the voice at last. No one within the empire called Keith by his human name but her. “What the hell does Lotor want from me?”

_ “The Emperor,” _ she chided.

“Whatever you’re accusing me of, it wasn’t me!” Keith ran his hands through his hair, realizing way too late that he’s left muffin crumbs in it, but unable to think too much about it right then.

_ “Well, when you put it like that,” _ Acxa trailed off, her voice much more friendly, even if just for only a tick.  _ “Like I said,  _ Marmoran ship 8293-M _ , this is only a- casual meeting.” _

“Casual my ass,” Keith mumbled, shutting off the line. He slumped back on his chair, feet propped up on the console, and pushed his second and last muffin into his mouth. It tasted like ash on his tongue, and who knew when he’d get the chance to get another one. The emperor owed him a muffin.

It was probably childish for Keith to stay inside his ship even after they deposited him in the hangar— scratch that, it  _ was _ childish— but Keith couldn’t care less, truth be told. He couldn’t think of a single valid reason for Lotor to want to speak with him, he definitely didn’t want to speak with Lotor, and to top things off, he was going to have to explain to Kolivan that he’d been hauled, again. And this time for no reason at all!

So Keith stayed onboard, stubbornly watching through the screen the officers working in the hangar, and offering Kosmo his fingers to lick clean of chocolate. If the emperor wanted to see him so badly, then his lackeys could come drag him out. Keith’s lips curled into a self-satisfied smirk. For a little less than a varga, he enjoyed the peace and quiet, and then released the hatch from the outside.

“You can tell Lotor I’m not stepping out of this ship until he presses charges, Acxa. I know my rights and he has no evidence of that trip to-  _ shit _ .” Keith turned in his seat, almost swallowing his tongue as he stared at the emperor himself, standing in the entrance to his little ship.

Lotor looked much like he always did throughout their time together. Pointy chin held high, slanted blue eyes peering past his upturned nose, lips tight in an attempt not to scowl. The whole look was that of a stuck-up noble complete with the manicured arched eyebrow and his hands so tightly held behind his back. The silk of his shirt stretched so tight, Keith could see all of the emperor’s defined muscle underneath.

“Emperor,” Keith stood to give the bow as protocol demanded, even if it pained him to do so. Lotor might be a brat, but Keith could at least acknowledge the man’s status and the fact that they were allies. That they’d been nothing but allies since Keith had been flung out to space to join an intergalactic war seven years prior.

“Blade,” Lotor himself greeted him with a short nod of his own. Keith would’ve lowered his guard— and shoulders— if the annoying royal weren’t eyeing the state of his craft with such contempt.

Keith squared his shoulders, posture high and defiant as he was often portrayed in those ridiculous Voltron soap operas. So what if his ship was a mess? It was  _ his _ mess, and Keith had fought hard to earn the right to live his life whatever way he liked. It had taken him almost the same amount of time since the war was over to find out who he was and where he fit in the universe, and he was not going to let a pompous emperor make him feel like any less over it. Keith had a steady job, a ship of his own, friends and family, and he’d fought hard for all of it.

“I can hear your brain working from all the way from here.” Lotor took a couple more steps into the ship, sidestepping Keith’s duffle bag where it lay in his path and making himself comfortable against the sole counter in the living quarters. He looked almost comical, all tall and poised, perched next to Keith’s empty package of smuggled doritos. “You can relax, I promise.”

Keith didn’t believe it, if only because he had no idea what business the emperor himself have with him, of all people. They weren’t close, after all. Although Keith couldn’t deny that the man looked... out of sorts. Beyond the fact that Keith’s craft was not a place Lotor would willingly put himself, there was something else simmering behind those blue eyes as they moved about the place. He looked almost nervous. The realization loosened something in Keith’s chest, and he motioned for the emperor to at least take a seat on his cot.

The way Lotor eyed the mess of space wolf hair that clung to his sheets was hilarious. Keith couldn’t help the snort that escaped him.

“Well then?” He gestured for Lotor to speak his mind, arms crossed over his chest and resting a shoulder against the opposite wall from the man.

“I... have a question to ask of you, a proposition if you will.” It was clear that this was not a position Lotor was used to being in: peered down on from above in someone else’s domain, and Keith would be a liar to say he wasn’t enjoying it. When Keith added nothing, Lotor continued.

“There’s an issue of utmost delicacy that I’ve been meaning to bring forward for some time now. A couple of deca-phoebs, to be completely honest about it, yet we never seem to be alone for any length of time, so you must understand why I had to haul you in like this.”

“Some people would call it detainment.” He shrugged.

“Yes well, I- I guess I’m sorry about that. The point stands, that whenever we have some occasion to meet, you seem averse to staying back and conversing with me. I deemed it necessary to take extraordinary measures in order for us to have a word in private.”

“Hold it.” Now Keith had no idea what was going on in Lotor’s mind, but the ramble— albeit very curated and pretentious— led him to imagine one thing, and one thing only. He could feel his spine tensing with each of the emperor’s words. “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, right?”

“I’m... not sure?” The emperor blinked once, twice, the movement so slow and practiced Keith was sure royalty were just an alien form all their own. Then, the faintest of blushes dusted his high, refined cheekbones, and Keith bolted several feet from the wall and in the opposite direction.

It was clearly the wrong thing to do, because that had Lotor standing up, and Keith couldn’t explain just how weird it was to see concern etched in his aristocratic features. All the more alarming for it to be aimed at him. He was sure it had never happened before, not even on the battlefield.

“I know this might sound odd, especially given your human upbringing, but I’m sure your time as a Blade has taught you a lot about your Galran heritage. Hopefully you can understand it’s really not an anomaly between our people.” The emperor kept on talking, and Keith could only listen and nod, stunned in place inside his little craft, a pile of dirty clothes and Kosmo separating the two of them. “What I mean to say, polyamorous relationships are common amongst our own, but I am not familiar with your human customs, thus why I’ve been meaning to find a moment for us to talk. To see if that would be something you’d be open to.”

The speech had stretched for so long in Keith’s mind, spanning the whole of his attention and then some, that the sudden end to it felt like an abrupt swerve at the edge of a cliff.

Silence hung thickly within the tiny hull, even his wolf sat motionless. Then Keith shattered it.

“What on Daibazaal’s moons are you talking about?” There was only so much anyone could handle, and being propositioned by the Galra Emperor was apparently Keith’s limit. “You want us to, to—”

“I beg your pardon? No.” It was Lotor’s turn to look as if he’d eaten a sour uglealery cake, and Keith could imagine with perfect clarity the stages of horror his own face must’ve gone through mere ticks before. “The Admiral, Takashi, I- I was—” The emperor flailed and Keith would’ve enjoyed it, if it weren’t for a hot, nauseating feeling starting to coil in his chest.

“What about Shiro?” His words came out in a growl, a thing so rare in him that Keith shocked himself with it.

“Like I said, I wanted to discuss with you the matter of courting the Admiral of the Atlas.” Lotor straightened, as if remembering his full height all of the sudden, and Keith was surely suicidal because he stepped closer.

“I don’t see how Shiro’s love life has anything to do with me,” Keith all but spit out, as if he didn’t care, as if the mere thought wasn’t eating him on the inside. Yet the tension in his jaw was so suddenly tight he was feeling the strain in his neck. And Lotor could see it all.

“Now little Blade, everyone knows you two are an item. There’s no need to hide it when I’m being nothing but sincere with you.” The words, the tone, Lotor’s face, Keith couldn’t possibly keep breathing the same air as the man or he’d do something that would restart the war in an instant.

“Shiro and I, he- we’re not—” Keith fisted his hands at his sides, trying to get himself in check, because he was over this feeling. He  _ thought _ he was over it.  _ He was supposed to be. _

He’d suffered years of pining after his best friend and watching the man from afar, seeing him thrive in life and love and whatever he set his mind to. Keith’s admiration turned into searing love, which he blurted in a hasty confession that seemed destined to be forgotten somewhere in the vast emptiness of the universe. Keith believed he had moved on, only for the emperor of the Galra to set his feelings into motion once again. And he couldn’t even punch him.

Keith saw the moment realization dawned on Lotor’s face. The minute widening of his eyes, and the way his chin was once again raised higher, letting Keith know he was in trouble.

“My apologies, Blade, I was mistaken.” Lotor bowed—  _ he bowed _ — to Keith, leaving a part of his mind scrambling to figure out if that meant he should bend a knee or do something equally exaggerated and shameful. “I will see that you get clearance to fly once again, and I will speak to Kolivan personally about the time you were kept from your duties.” And just like that, Lotor was off his ship, leaving Keith’s mess of a heart scattered between the laundry on the floor and the muffin crumbs still falling from his hair.

_ “Marmoran ship number 8293-M, this is the imperial cruiser, the deck is clear for departure at your convenience.” _

“Fuck, fuck, shit, fuck him!”

****

Keith’s knee bounced, the heel of his boot tapping nervously against the metal floor of the cockpit. He’d already bitten raw the nails of his left hand, a habit he’d somewhat managed to keep in check after the war, but there was only so much pacing he could do in the small cabin before he drove himself insane.

He checked the distance to the Atlas one more time, time and space maliciously stretching between him and his destination. On impulse, Keith’s hands went up to his hair, stopping at the last minute. It had taken him forever to properly braid his hair, even more so with his brain intent on replaying every word of the disastrous conversation he’d had with Lotor the previous day, so he couldn’t afford to mess it up this time.

An incoming message alert popped up on his screen, the ID letting him know it was Kolivan again, and once again Keith ignored it. He would deal with the consequences once he arrived back at the base. Right now, he had an almost primal need to reach Shiro before- before he—

Keith stood, the pacing starting once again as he was finally set to land in the Atlas’ hangar. He punched in the coordinates and put the ship on autopilot. If he was still fixing his uniform, brushing out non-existent wrinkles, and adjusting his blade for the tenth time, no-one needed to know.

_ “Marmoran ship number 6372-L, this is the Atlas command. Welcome aboard, General Thace.” _

Keith winced at the message, knowing he was going to be in so much shit when he got back, and yet he’d not been able to reign himself in. As soon as he’d stepped down from his craft after dropping his cargo to the Vreckzens, everything had been a blur. 

With a knot in his stomach and before he knew what had gotten into him, Keith was going through the Blades’ log to find a ship due to depart towards the Atlas. Towards Shiro. Even as he received Kolivan’s first call and he realized the consequences of what he’d done, Keith couldn’t find it in him to turn around. It was as if a much stronger force drove him forward.

Sitting cross-legged on the ship’s floor, weaving heavy locks of hair into the intricate braids his mom had taught him, Keith began to doubt his actions. And once docked, feet moving forward on their own down the gangplank, he felt stupid for having put on his best uniform. What was he even doing? He should just leave Shiro didn’t think of him that way, regardless.

“Keith?” He stopped mid-step, the man of the hour standing right before him in the middle of the hangar. “I thought—” Shiro looked confused, and rightly so, yet Keith was paying so little attention to the excuses he should’ve prepared.

No, Keith's focus was solely centered on Shiro, standing there in his pristine uniform, head cocked to the side in inquiry, yet eyes soft and lips slowly curving into a smile. Just for him, his brain provided, and he knew on some level that was true.

If nothing else, Keith could always count on Shiro being excited to see him, even if for very different reasons than his own.

“Hey, Shiro.” Keith tried not to fidget with his blade, closing the distance between them and lurching straight into Shiro’s open arms. Shiro’s arms wrapped around him like the perfect blanket, Keith’s face buried into the crook of his neck, trying to soak up as much of his friend as Shiro was willing to give him. And stars, wasn’t this just what coming home felt like?

When they pulled away at last, Shiro’s fingers trapped Keith’s hair, inspecting his handiwork and making Keith’s insides flare up. A blush rushed up to his cheeks. “I like it,” he said, those two words as devastating as his smile.

No matter how much Keith had battled his feelings, he was back at square one all over again with Shiro’s metal fingers toying with the end of his braid, looking at him as if he understood, as if Keith was as transparent as he felt.. A young boy crushing hard on the ridiculously handsome golden boy of the Garrison.

“So, no Thace?” Shiro asked, finally stepping away enough for Keith’s lungs to get some air in them. He led them further into the ship, Keith recognizing the turns as those that led to the different meeting rooms. 

“No, uh, it was um, change of plans.” He smiled, far more sheepish than any respectable Blade should allow themselves to.

“Perfect.” For a second it seemed as if Shiro’s arm was going to fall across Keith’s shoulders, before he seemed to remember his status and clasped his hands behind his back instead, giving Keith a lovely view of his uniform jacket stretching across his chest. “Don’t tell Thace, but I’d much rather your company,” Shiro teased, stopping to open a door for Keith to walk through. The grin he gave Keith went straight to his gut, and for a moment he forgot how to even walk.

“I won’t, don’t wo— Emperor?” Keith was frozen in place, the hairs at the back of his neck standing on edge, his whole body a single ripple of fury and fear. He bowed, and could feel the strain it put on his back muscles from the sudden tension. He didn’t dare look at Shiro, unsure of what his eyes would show.

“Blade,” Lotor greeted, his smile disgustingly polite, eyes moving down Keith’s body almost appreciatively. “You clean up well.”

“Yes, well, not all of us have an empire just lining up to dress us in the morning.” Keith did not sneer, because it would be unbecoming of a senior blade to do so. “What happened with the cape though, had them all at the drycleaners?”

Lotor laughed, a breathy and poised chuckle that made his chest shake, and drew Keith’s eye to the way the necklace he wore moved and shimmered with it. “I was just feeling like dressing more, casually.”

“Casually, of course.” This time Keith did scoff, because there was absolutely nothing casual about Lotor’s appearance. Sure, the suit was grey instead of the royal purple, and the regalia hung from a necklace instead of being embroidered across his wide chest, but that was where the  _ casualness _ ended. It did not deter the emperor’s good mood, however, and he kept on grinning as if he knew something Keith didn’t.

“In any case, it’s quite a coincidence, meeting each other twice in less than a quintant. I wasn’t aware you were visiting the Atlas.” Oh, so there was the sting.

“There was a change of plans,” Keith spoke between gritted teeth. “I wasn’t aware you were coming to the Atlas, either.” He did not mimic Lotor’s awfully impassive tone, of course.  _ Coincidence my ass. _

“Oh, well, we had to make a jump very near here, and I decided to stop by and see the Admiral.” The emperor brushed it away, as if it were not important. As if he’d not detoured the whole imperial cruiser just to— Keith refused to acknowledge it.

“How nice of you.” Keith stood taller to meet Lotor eye to eye, even if that was physically impossible.

“I try to be, yes.” The man ginned, all teeth and fangs, while Keith ground his together.

“Okay, I—” Shiro finally interrupted, looking back and forth between the two of them. The tilt of his lips to a side betrayed his curiosity and amusement. “I’m afraid I have to return to the bridge for a moment, but seeing you’re in good company, I can go feeling less guilty about it.”

Keith’s blood ran cold. In front of him, Lotor’s shoulders tensed, eyes darting to Keith as if to order him to stop Shiro. “Wh— Shiro,” Keith wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say, what he  _ could _ say to stop him from leaving.

Veronica had them all beat, though, opening the door to the conference room not a moment later with Shiro’s PAAD and a mug of coffee. “Admiral, are you ready?”

“Shiro, I, I’ll have to return soon, and I was hoping to have a word with you before that,” Keith hurried to say before he had a chance to think better of it. Eyeing Lotor, he added, “ _ in private _ .”

“Don’t worry Keith, I’m sure Kolivan won’t mind if I keep you a little longer.” Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder, its warmth making him shiver. “Gentlemen, I hope I’ll see you later? In one piece, preferably.”

Looking at both of them one last time, his smile as dashing as the white of his hair refracting the blue glow of the lights, Shiro left.

Keith turned on Lotor as soon as the door closed behind them, his whole body a death threat. He had to take a couple of steadying breaths to remember that the man was his emperor, lest he do something impulsive. “ _ The fuck _ , Lotor?”

Oh, yeah, it was going to be a lovely couple of hours.

****

Silence in space was a fact. Keith had experienced the dark and oppressive power of silence in the vastness of it, alone, feeling like he was losing his mind as incalculable time slipped through him. He’d lived it with his team, lost and without their lions, and sometimes he still felt the need to fill the looming silences, verify everything was okay.

The silence Shiro left behind now was less than pleasant, too, but in a whole different way. It felt loud somehow. Alive, charged. Like the crackle of wood in a fire, moments away from snapping in splinters, where whoever spoke first would take the brunt of it.

In some weird twist of cosmic humour, the two of them did.

“Listen, Blade—”

“Just call me Keith, would you?” Keith snapped before he realized he did. “No point in formalities when you’re here playing dirty, is there?”

“That’s rich coming from you.” Lotor shook his head, way too amused for someone that was a moment away from a decking.

“What?”

“Your whole speech earlier, about you not caring for the Admiral’s love life?” The emperor’s words hit Keith in his most tender parts, teeth chewing at his cheek, unable to answer coherently. “I don’t really care, though. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, polyamory is not unusual in our culture. If you want to lie to yourself, to Takashi, like that, it’s none of my business.”

“And you think  _ Shiro _ will be okay with it?” Keith wasn’t sure why hearing Shiro’s full name from Lotor’s lips made his heart ache so much. Or he did, but was intent in squashing those feelings under the heel of his boot, and keeping them there.

“Well, that’s for him to decide, isn’t it?” Lotor’s impassiveness was getting on Keith’s nerves. His hands itched, and his eyes burned. “It’s a good thing there was a change of plans in your flight schedule, then, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Keith was high on anger, throat tighter with every word he spat back at the emperor. Anger at the man in front of him, and his cool and collected attitude, while Keith fell apart under the weight of his feelings. Anger at himself, for waiting years to take a step forward what he’d wanted his whole life, and needing Lotor’s own confession to put him in motion.

“Good, I’m glad we’re on the same page, then.” Lotor took a step closer. Keith saw his hand moving out of the corner of his eye, and he  _ knew _ it was merely an offer for a handshake, yet he couldn’t stop himself.

“If he says no?” Keith asked, fingers wrapping around Lotor’s forearm, stealing the tiniest of gasps from the man. Something stirred in him at the sound.

Lotor took a moment to answer, his own hand closing around Keith’s arm, making the muscles under Keith’s fingers move and tense. “If he says no, then I’ll leave him all to you.” He inched closer into Keith’s personal space. “What if he says yes? Where does that leave you, Blade?”

“That’s none of your business,  _ emperor _ .” This time Keith could feel the growl slowly building in his chest.

“Oh, but I believe it is, kit. Especially when your claws are ripping through my clothes.” Lotor was smiling, all his bright teeth on display for Keith to see, yet his eyes moved down to where his nails were no more, and he was indeed tearing the soft silk-like fabric to show lilac skin underneath.

“Tell me, Blade. If the admiral grants a yes to both of us, what happens then?” Lotor leaned closer, hot breath making Keith’s heart stutter. Keith saw in horrifying slow motion how his thumb caressed into the tear in the clothes. 

Keith didn’t know what would happen then. But he also didn’t know what would happen now, with Lotor’s height towering over him, and the heat of their bodies slowly coalescing between their heaving chests. The necklace fell neatly in the middle, movement slow and pendulant, reflecting Keith’s inner turmoil. His eyes flicked upwards, finding blue on vibrant yellow staring down at him, waiting.

Lotor’s lips parted, tongue flicking across to wet them. The movement was quick, yet enough for Keith to get a peek of pink, and want more.

Their lips met in a mess of feelings and teeth, tongues desperate to prove something in the other’s mouth, and hands much too eager to sabotage the last semblance of decorum. Lotor threading his long fingers into Keith’s braid, and Keith’s claws rent new tears in the grey silk. Their fangs biting threats and promises to their already bruised lips.

It was the crack of the wood under the pressure of fire, in silence of a cold desert night. And it was also the splintering of the glass panel he’d pushed Lotor against, loud in his ears.

And as soon as it began, it was over. Keith pushed himself off of Lotor onto the opposite wall, hands pressed onto the metal behind as if to keep control of himself. Watching the man taking stock of himself against the table in the middle of the room, a part of Keith was filthy proud of the mess he’d made of the emperor, even if he was surely in a similar state. A throat clearing by the door stopped Keith’s heart.

“Should I have returned later?” Shiro asked, thoroughly unfazed, as if it was a daily occurrence that he walked in on Keith and Lotor kissing on his ship. “I can offer you an actual room on board, if you prefer so. Or at least so you don’t destroy my furniture.” He joked, eyes tight with mirth, while Keith’s heart bruised the inside of his ribs trying to remember what a steady beat was anymore. Across from him, Lotor seemed to be struggling with the same. Silence stretched for a handful of ticks, and then it lurched ahead with both of them trying to explain to the very amused admiral of the Atlas.

In the heat of the moment, and with years of repressed feelings, it was Keith’s confession that brought the three of them back to apparent calm. Lotor wasted no time, either, in clarifying what the intentions for his trip had really been. And then they waited for Shiro’s reaction.

Shiro, who looked from one another with the gentlest of smiles, eyes assessing, as if he were weighing the truth that was sputtered in the heat of the moment.

“Okay,” he answered after what seemed like eternity, but was surely less than a dobosh. Just like that, like it was easy.

“Okay to what, if I might ask?” Lotor was the one to voice their concerns, because Keith had suddenly lost all ability for speech.

“Okay, I accept both of your courtships. It seems safe to assume you two have already discussed this.  _ In depth _ .” Lotor’s throat made a funny noise that Keith would’ve laughed at, if all air hadn’t been punched out of his lungs with two words, a wicked grin, and metal fingers running through silverwhite hair.

“Do I get a kiss as well, seeing that you two have gotten a jump start at things?” 

Keith looked up at Lotor in shock, only to find the emperor in a similar state of breathlessness.

Shiro walked up to Lotor first, fingers finding Keith’s braid and trailing down its messy length right before his lips pressed against the emperor’s. A reminder that Shiro would go to him after. A permit to watch and a request to do so, wrapped in such a gentle gesture.

Watching them kiss, Keith discovered, was exactly like watching them spar. Strength and power meeting in a heated dance where only Keith would lose. It was mesmerizing to watch Shiro’s hands finding Lotor’s hair only to pull and get deeper access to his mouth, and the emperor letting him, his own fingers mapping every divot up the length of Shiro’s arms. Keith could see every time the energy shifted, feel it reflected in the heat spreading through his body in familiar want.

By the time they broke apart, Keith’s body was aflame, heart desperate and lungs waiting for the moment air would return to them.

Shiro’s hand was still wrapped around Lotor’s neck when he turned to Keith, lips full and wet, and deliciously disheveled. Keith was so charged with energy his skin felt wrong, confining.

It was only a couple of steps separating them, and then he was there, two fingers tilting Keith’s face upwards, blown grey eyes softening, searching. It was a silent question for a sign to go on, to stop, but Keith was too gone in the feeling of a thumb brushing across his jawline, and the beat of Shiro’s heart under his fingers to answer. Shiro must’ve found his answer regardless, because one tick his lips curved in a small smile and the next they were pressed against Keith’s.

The kiss was nothing like the one before. It was soft and exploratory, with Shiro’s hands cradling Keith’s face with a tenderness that had Keith sobbing into Shiro’s lips. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue to Keith’s mouth, carefully demanding for more, and at any other time Keith would’ve been upset at being handled with such care, but not today. Keith was a livewire, razor-edged and ready to come apart at any moment, and Shiro’s kiss was grounding. Melted all of his worries and anger away, and left him bare and raw in the most beautiful of ways.

It took a small eternity for Keith to realize it was over, to collect himself enough to look up at the other two men in the room. He was relieved to see at least one of those just as devastated as he was.

“Very well then,” Shiro smoothed down his uniform, fingers combing through his hair to fix it. Only years by his side let Keith know he was barely keeping himself in check.

Shiro straightened, gifting each of them with a long-lasting stare as deep as the astral plane. “Lotor, I hope your detour here today won’t put too much strain in your schedule.” Keith thought Lotor answered something, but couldn’t be exactly sure. “Keith, please do return Thace his ship, as I would love to see you on Altea next week. Both of you. And we can...  _ discuss _ this more throughouthly then.”

This time, when Shiro turned on his heel and left them, Keith wasted no time in leaving as well, feet rushing him through the corridors back to his ship, and out the Atlas in a rush of energy and feelings he could barely stop to decipher.

_ “Marmoran ship number 6372-L, this is the Atlas command—” _

But Keith wasn’t listening anymore. He was already living a week in the future, on Altea.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments feed me, long, short, keyboard smashes, emojis, your choice!
> 
> Come chat with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/ragdollrory).


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